Machine for husking almonds and other kernels or the like



A ril 1927. 1,623,739

. 5 R. F, MACFARLANE MACHINE FOR nusxme Amonns AND OTBEIR KERNBLS on THE LIKE Filed April 8, 1925 2 sheets sheet l Rosin Fxmcn MAcFAKLANE.

I Armm/Er' April 5 1927.

R. F. MACFARLANE MACHINE FOR HUSKING ALMONDS-AND OTHER KERNELS OR THE LIKE Filed April 8. ,1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ROBERT FRENCH MACFAKLANE Patented Apr; 5, 1927.

- UNITED STATES PATENT ROBERTFRENCH M'ACIEARLAINE," OF-LONDON; ENGLAND.

V MAOHINEIORI-LUSKING ALMONDS AN'D I-O'II IJEJER,LEE-ERNEILS OREHETLIKE.

Application filed April -8,, 1e25,v Serial No.

and thenpassing through abradingor pres surearollers.

. According.

kernelsgare subjected .to, a resilient; but efficientabrasive-;-action by which very high percentage of the-kernelsipassed gthroughiare,

efie ctively, husked... or. skinned;

f Broadly stated, the machine comprises. conveyor] by which {the kernels are 1 carried along {and simultaneously aacted upon by a plane apressure member having a dilferential movement t0-.- tl re 'conveyor,, whereby. the

kernels arev subjected between said conveyor;

and pressure member to a resilient abrasive. action-resulting inithe removal of the husks i or -skins.

1 The inventiongalso comprises other dctailssof construction, arrangement and 00111- binationssof parts, all; set, forth :in appended claims; and .hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 7 l I J ,Eig. :1 i sia side elevationsandFig, .2 a, plan View or a machine according to a this ainvens tion.

chargea slot 0 .v Thestrolre of theplate and consequently the dimensions of the slot are adj ustable according to the. I size I of kernels under- :treatment. The kernels passing throughsaid discharge slot; 0 are thusdel veredi onto the conveyor b in a row or rows extending transversely of the conveyor. The said conveyor is provided with a seriesoftransverse ribs 11 (certain ot-Which only are shown for clearness) and may con: veniently be-formed otran endless-Web of ribbed rubber loosely mounted on canvas band 4?)? the saidtband-talginggthe -maj or; part tothis; inventionv all. rollers. acting directly *on the. kernels aredispensed; is with and I provide a machine in whichithe-i 21,460 and in GI'ea't Br itain- May; 9, 1924.

ofthe driving strainandthus relieving. the rubber surfaceof undue tension; Theon veyor may passatv its endthrough a trough} shaped iguide d to ensure goodltracking and; over spring pressed rollers e located'at-suio able intervals-in itslengt-l1 in order thati it may. y eld, to; some extent, underi pressure. exerted by the. kernels which pass along on... said iconveyorbetweenthe latter andanothersimilarly constructed pressure. web. mounted above the. conveyor. The: conveyor. 6 and web f are driven atidifferentior, diliferentialispeeds, for. example, .the web 'f. may be. driven ata. slower spedKthan t-heecone veyorab. Y

The kernels, disposed between said. con: veyorandweb, are thus treatedtdthecrd quired abrasive action, which: however. is further assisted. or improved "by, the. pro; visionof the rollerse andliofasiinilar seriesof. rollers g positioned immediately above or; to-the rearoftthe adjacentlactive surface of the web f, all the rollersbeing of such character or so inountedas toexertresilient pressure on the surfaces. of.tlie .conveyor. and web'to exert :anip. or. grip on the; kernels? between them. Thus said active surfacesof V the conveyor. and web may be given :asliQlitlyundulating contour which .materiallyes sists their rubbing: action. andi consequently, improves the action .and. output. of fthe ma? chine. I r

One other or. both seriesort rollers, is preferably adjustable asby. screw meansiand in additionbe arrangedunder spring load so that if a large kernel passesbetweenwthem they would: react against. the: spring; pressure and} again return to. normal; when .the kernellhas passed. The spring pressuremay be variedasfdesired inaddition to the posi: tion of: therollers-bei-ng adjustable...

' Aronvenientmethod ofmountingthe roll. ers :is. .a s, shown .particularlyin Fig. 1 viz,- by carrying them. in pivoted rocking, armsc under: the action of springs e tending to produce the requiredresilient pressure, on i he conveyor and l to provide means such, as thumb nuts 6. "for individually. adjusting .the pressure of said. rollers in order. that if 1 re.- quired different degrees offpressure may be possible. at varionsapartsof the conveyor. The springs. may. be. coupled to thelrocking arms which carry the rollers as shown and said arms rise against a stationary abutment. ci -shown inthe form of a. screw. which can.

be set to regulate the position of the roller when not deflected by an obstruction passing between the rollers. In practice it will probably be sufiicient if the rollers pertaining to but one of the conveyors are made resilient or adjustable as shown, the rollers of the other conveyor being more or less of a rigid character or rigidly mounted. The methods described of mounting both the conveyor and pressure webs causes the almonds to be spread out on the conveyor, and a resilient abrasive action exerted on the kernels passing between them on the conveyor, resulting in a very complete husking of said kernels without damage thereto.

The means for adjusting the degree of pressure and distance between the conveyor 7) and web 7" provide for different sizes of kernels being dealt with and these means are however preferably so constructed as to prevent at all times direct contact between the conveyor and web.

The kernels and removed husks pass along together on the conveyor Z) to the end thereof and drop off into a chute h which guides them into an inclined open ended and rotatable cylinder 2' positioned below; and through said cylinder :1 current of air is projected or passes by which the husks are blown away at the top into a suitable containerj and the husked or blanched kernels pass out through the lower end of the cylinder to a second container or other collecting device (not shown). The means for producing the current of air may comprise a blower in casing provided with a valved discharge pipe k terminating in a nozzle 70 terminating close to the lower end of the cylinder. These means are preferably formed as a unit with the machine as shown but may be separate therefrom according to existing conditions. The angle of the current of air in relation to the interior of the cylinder may be varied according to requirements and the class of kernels under treatment.

The moving parts of the machine are all suitably driven from one main shaft m provided with fast and loose pulleys m m Thus the conveyor I) is driven from said shaft through gears '21, n M, n and the web 7' through gears 91, n n n a a. The blower is driven from a pulley 0 on shaft m and through belt 0 to pulley 0 on shaft of blower in casing 72. The cylinder 2' is rotated through chain and sprocket gear 7) p driven from shaft of gear n and driving through bevel gear g a shaft extending through the cylinder. The said bevel gear Q drives a crank disc 1' which through connecting rod 8 and lever and link systems 8 operates the slotted feed plate 0 in the hopper c the lever 8 having slotted connection with the rod 8 for adjusting the stroke of the plate.

Vi hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. A machine for husking nut kernels comprising a plurality of parallelly extending abrasive members arranged in spaced relation and between which the kernels are adapted to pass under the influence of one of said members, means for driving said member, and means for subjecting one of said members to yielding pressure.

2. A machine for husking nut kernels comprising a plurality of parallelly extending abrasive members arranged in spaced relation, one of said members serving as a conveyor for the kernels being operated upon, means for driving said members in the same direction at different speeds, and means for subjecting one of said members to yielding pressure at spaced intervals in the length thereof.

3. A machine for husking nut kernels, comprising a frame, a pair of spaced parallelly extending abrading members between which the nut kernels to be treated are adapted to pass, a plurality of rigidly mounted rollers engaging one of said abrasive members, and a plurality of yieldingly mounted rollers engaging the other of said abrasive members and tending to move the same in the direction of the first mentioned abrasive member.

4. A machine for husking nut kernels comprising a pair of parallelly travelling abradlng members, and a plurality of yieldingly mounted rollers arranged at spaced intervals in the length of one of said abrasive members, and exerting pressure thereon in the direction of the other abrading member.

5. A. machine for husking nut kernels comprising two parallelly extending abradin members, a plurality of yieldingly mounted rollers engaging one of said members, and exerting pressure thereon in the direction of the other of said abrading members, and means for adjusting the tension of said yieldingly mounted rollers.

6. A machine for husking nut kernels, said machine comprising a frame, a plurality of parallelly extending abrading members mounted in said frame, means for drivmg said abrading members in the same direction at different speeds, means for feedin the nut kernels to be operated upon to said abrading members, and means for exerting yielding pressure to one of said abrading members at spaced intervals in the len th thereof, said pressure exerting means bei n adjustable. a

7. A machine for husking nut kernels comprising a frame, a plurality of parallellv extending abrading members mounted in said frame, means for driving said abradim members in the same direction at different speeds, means for feeding the nut kernels to be operated upon between said abrading in such a manner that one end of a roller members, and means for subjecting one of may be positioned in closer proximity to said 'abrading members to yielding pressure the abrading member than the opposite end 10 at'spaced intervals in the length thereof,' of the roller.

said means comprising a plurality of rollers In witness whereof I have signed this movable bodily toward and away from said specification. abrasive member, and capable of adjustment ROBERT FRENCH MACFARLANE. 

